Texas Man Sentenced for Threatening to Kill President Trump

Mickael Gedlu in a file booking photograph. Keller Police Department

A Texas man was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in federal prison for threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.

Mickael Gedlu, 36, was sentenced via video teleconference by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn, according to a Department of Justice release.

Gedlu pleaded guilty in December 2019 for making threats against Trump. According to plea papers, he admitted that he threatened on social media to kill the president, having written on YouTube: “I’m waiting for Trump to visit Dallas before I attempt to assassinate him.”

Prosecutors pointed out during court proceedings that on May 31, 2018, Gedlu was spotted across the street from Dallas’ Adolphus Hotel about 30 minutes before Trump arrived at the hotel for a fundraising event.

Dallas police officers took action when they noticed him holding a sign that read “Kill Trump.” He screamed, “Kill the President,” as he was being detained.

A grand jury in July 2019 indicted Gedlu. He was accused of threatening “to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon” the president sometime between December 2018 and June 2019.

Gedlu’s indictment cited 18 U.S. Code 871, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The code states that any person who knowingly and intentionally puts in print containing any threat to “take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm” upon top officials, including the president, commits a federal felony and faces a fine and or jail for up to five years.

On Facebook, a man matching the name of Gedlu and appearing to be the same person had posted to the social media network on June 5, 2019: “For 20 straight months now, openly and publicly, I have been calling for President Trump’s death.” He also added a #metoo hashtag at the end of the post.

Gedlu’s father, Gizaw, told the Star-Telegram in July 2019 that his son is a “sick person.” The father described his son as disabled and mentally confused and had been seen by many doctors for mental issues.

The father said, after watching the news, his son was known to go out and shout about what he watched, including things about the president. It wasn’t clear which news channels he was watching.

“That’s his problem. He talks too much, simply,” Gizaw Gedu told the news outlet about his son. “Doctors give him medicine. Sometimes he’s not taking it.”